Steam revamps family sharing with new features

Image: Valve

Steam revamped its family sharing with Steam Families. Families can now share games more easily with simultaneous play for different games, stronger parental controls, and easier gifting for kids.

Gone are the days of juggling Family Sharing and Family View. Now, families of up to six can play together without restrictions on how many devices you can authorize (except members can play the same game at once). If two people in your family want to play the same game, there needs to be a new copy bought and added to your library. Each member still maintains their saves, achievements, workshop files, and other features.

Parents can manage playtime and game access, while kids can request games for approval without needing their credit card.

However, Steam Families is still in beta, and some games might be restricted. There are also region locks and a one-year cooldown for those leaving a family. They can't join or start a new one during that timeframe.

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